Gun Shops Flagstaff AZ

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Handgun Maintenance for Reliability

Handgun Maintenance for Reliability

Contributor Dave Morelli | Sep 30, 2008 | Comments 0

A few years ago, I was shooting a basic pistol course at Gunsite with a Sig P 220 ST. The course lasted a week, and instructors recommended that each student bring at least 1,000 rounds of ammo. Some students actually shot more (I fired about 1,100 rounds). The Sig is an extremely reliable pistol, so I figured the course provided a good chance to see how long the gun would last without cleaning before it started to malfunction.

The test wasn’t very scientific, but about halfway through the course, I started to experience failures in extraction and the slide closing. It was nothing major — just enough to make you nervous. Actually, that was perfect, because we worked on clearing jams, and my problems provided good training. That night, a good cleaning solved all the problems.

A dirty gun will eventually start to affect reliability. Because you don’t know when you’ll need your weapon, it’s imperative to keep it cleaned and lubricated after each shooting session.

I once read that Wild Bill Hickok used to shoot the loads out of his Navy revolvers every morning, clean them and reload the guns for the day. That’s a bit paradoxical, because the only reason he had to clean the guns is because he shot them to unload them. Wild Bill believed that his equipment should be ready in case of an unexpected assault.

We must take care of our guns so they can take care of us. With modern products, that’s not a time-consuming process, and it can be done in minutes after shooting.

Break Them Down, Clean Them Up

The first thing I do with my pistols is break them down to the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning condition. That usually means removing the slide, barrel and spring from the frame. With a single-action revolver, the cylinder comes out of the frame. Of course, that’s unnecessary with a double-action revolver. I don’t dismantle the entire frame every cleaning unless something happened to warrant it, like dropping the gun in water or sand. Don’t laugh — it happens. I like the fact that you can take the barrel out of a pistol to clean it. I think that lets me do a better job.

A gun bore is extremely sensitive to mistreatment. I like to clean every bore with the same care as I would a sniper rifle. Many people use bore snakes nowadays, and those do a good job cleaning bores. I’m a bit old-fashioned and like to scrub out the bore with a brush and patches. Also, I shoot lead bullets in my .45 and 10 mm, and even though lead is really hard these days, it usually leaves some fouling you must remove. In my cowboy guns, through which I frequently shoot lead, there comes a point when accuracy goes out the window because of lead build-up. Therefore, those guns get a quality scrub after every shooting session.

My semiautos shoot copper and lead, as I shoot defensive ammo. However, I don’t depend on the copper to push out all the lead because I do...

Practical Accuracy Makes a Great Rifle

Practical Accuracy Makes a Great Rifle

Walt Hampton | Nov 18, 2009 | Comments 0

We get a lot of inquiries about big game hunting rifles from guys in search of the one-hole group. While this quest is admirable and I do believe that we should strive to bring our hunting rigs to their full potential, in order to be a successful hunter in my opinion one does not have to have benchrest accuracy .

Many times we are asking a rifle to perform beyond its capabilities and we are disappointed with what should be adequate hunting performance. I have several examples of these rifles in my own safe and am perfectly happy with them, as long as I adhere to their range and circumstance restrictions.

Minute of angle (or less) accuracy is a fine thing in a hunting rifle but we sometimes forget that we achieved that accuracy level on the shooting bench under controlled conditions; these factors go right out the window when the sleet is blowing in your face and the deer is trotting through the timber at 150 yards.

This is why I try to recommend to anyone that asks that you should: 1) practice at the bench to know what your rifle and load will do at certain ranges and; 2) get off the bench and practice off-hand, sitting and prone at unknown distances on life-size targets.

After spending a month or so shooting my Marlin 1893 .30/30 on and off the bench at 50, 100 and 150 yards I gained enough confidence with the gun to take it to the deer woods. The area that I regularly hunt has shooting possibilities from the end of the barrel to 1,000 yards , so I chose to stay in the timber where any opportunities presented would be within my self-imposed range restrictions.

Because I derive much of my hunting pleasure from the gun I carry, it was no sacrifice to pass up a few borderline shooting opportunities and take only the shots that “felt” right. This particular rifle couldn’t produce a 1-inch three-shot group if it was set in concrete and shot by the Almighty Himself, Because I recognize the limitations and “hunt the gun” I have killed every deer at which I have shot with it.

This article appeared in the September 14, 2009 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine. Click Here to learn more about this issue. Click Here to Subscribe.

Unless we are talking about long-range hunting, and here I mean 300 yards or more , it just isn’t required that a hunting rifle be a “one-holer”. With today’s rifles, loads and telescopic sights, 300 yards may seem shorter than ever before but until you have practiced at that range and actually seen what you can do with your chosen rifle, you have no business shooting at game at that distance.

Yes, it makes it easier to hit a small target with an accurate rifle but even the most accurate bench gun will not make up for poor choices in shot selection or a bad technique. I know plenty of guys that have rifles that regularly produce sub-MOA groups at the 100-yard bench only to find out that they ca...

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